Health experts are raising concerns about the increasing availability of nicotine pouches, highlighting that these products are being marketed with “youth-attractive branding” and sold online with ease. This has sparked fears that they could lead to similar health issues as vaping.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is urging the government and enforcement agencies to close the loopholes that allow unapproved nicotine products to enter the market and be sold online without much difficulty.
Associate Professor Julian Rait, the AMA Vice President, emphasized that nicotine pouches are being marketed in ways that appeal to young people. Despite this, there are no approved therapeutic indications for these products in Australia.
“A non-industry study showed that nicotine absorption from pouches containing 30 mg nicotine was comparable with that from one cigarette, and some pouches contain up to 150mg of nicotine,” Rait stated.
He warned that regulators must act quickly before the use of nicotine pouches becomes widespread in Australia.
Professor Rait also pointed out that nicotine pouches can cause a range of health issues, including mouth and gum irritation, upset stomachs, nausea, and high blood pressure.
Currently, there are no approved nicotine pouches on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), meaning none should be supplied through “routine channels.”
The AMA supports the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s proposed changes, which aim to prevent access to unapproved nicotine pouches via existing pathways such as access schemes and personal importation arrangements.
The association highlighted how the rapid growth in sales of these unregulated products has exposed flaws in the government’s regulations and enforcement of synthetic nicotine.
“Without stronger, technology-neutral rules and consistent national enforcement, suppliers will continue to exploit grey areas,” Professor Rait said.
He called for stronger safeguards, including effective online compliance and takedown processes, clear and consistent health warnings, child-resistant packaging, and better monitoring of adverse events and poisoning presentations to inform ongoing regulatory action.
This call for stricter regulation comes at a time when new laws have come into effect in Britain, banning children aged 17 and under from ever legally purchasing cigarettes in their lifetime. British ministers have also gained significant new powers to regulate the flavours, packaging, and display of vaping and nicotine products to make them less appealing to minors.
